# Northern Yellow Warbler

*Setophaga aestiva*

When a cowbird lays an egg in their nest, Yellow Warblers often build a new floor right over the intruder's egg to prevent it from hatching.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Parulidae › Setophaga
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Riparian thickets, willow swamps, and scrubby forest edges near water.
- **Diet:** Primarily insectivorous, consuming caterpillars, beetles, and spiders; occasionally eats berries.
- **Range:** North America, Central America, Northern South America
- **Size:** 12-13 cm length, 9-11 g weight
- **Lifespan:** 5 to 10 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Wetland habitat loss, pesticide exposure, and brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and shy. Maintain a respectful distance of at least 15 feet to avoid disrupting their foraging or nesting. If you find a grounded fledgling, leave it be; the parents are likely nearby.

## About

The yellow warbler ( Setophaga petechia ) is a New World warbler species. Yellow warblers are the most widespread species in the diverse genus Setophaga , breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, as well as northern South America.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/f5e4902f-060e-44f4-908c-18d72bb5366f
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1188207
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_warbler
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/19302642/medium.jpg (Mirko Schoenitz, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.